Boyfriend for Hire
by Vintage and Pink
Summary: Alexis has always loved her single life. That is, until her mother decided to get married for the umpteenth time and dates are mandatory. She stumbles upon "Rent a Boyfriend" and decides to rent a suitable date for a small fee. However, her so called rental was anything but boyfriend material...with time ticking away, Alexis now has to train her rental boyfriend into a proper date.
1. Introduction

**_So right off the bat, I'm going to admit that I'm rather nervous about writing a pure romance story, mainly because I've haven't really sat down and written anything thing in quite a while. So, any feedback would be much appreciated, thank you!_**

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I DO NOT own Yugioh GX or any of the characters. I simply own the rights to this fanfiction and my original characters included within._

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 ** _Full Summary:_** _**{AU}** Being single was never a problem for Alexis. In fact, she preferred the life of a single and free successful wedding planner. That is, until her mother decided to get married for the umpteenth time and dates were mandatory. _

_Deciding to take the easy route out, she stumbles upon a seemly joke site one night called "Rent a Boyfriend" and decides to rent a suitable date for a small fee._

 _But…the spunky and hyper brunette that showed up on her door step the next morning was anything but boyfriend material...with only 6 months until her mother's wedding, Alexis now has the task of training her rental boyfriend to train her rental boyfriend into a proper date._

 _During their time together, Alexis finds herself becoming attached and slowly falling for the lovable goof ball. However, there was but one problem wrong with the situation; the matter of his often talked about fiancé in France…_

 _What will Alexis do now? Will she follow her heart or will she back down and hope that her Mr. Perfect finds her someday?_

 _Only time will tell…_

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 _"This is so bloody stupid…"_ Was her first thought as she read the site's description again.

 _No boyfriend since birth?_

 _Wishing for someone to brag to your friends about?_

 _Want to make your ex-boyfriend come crawling back to you?_

 _Ready to move on?_

 _Or do you simply want to have someone by your side?_

 _Well…if you said yes to any of those questions then look no further! "Rent-A-Boyfriend" is here for you with a wide variety of rental boyfriends to fit your needs!_

 _Simply fill out our 20 question questionnaire and we'll match you with your perfect match!_

 _Once you have reviewed our terms and paid the set fee in full, then expect your rental boyfriend at your door step the very next day!_

Alexis gave a small chuckle slumping back in her work chair. She wasn't about to enter her credit card information in some sketchy site. Surfing the dark abyss of the internet with a glass of wine table side might not have been the best choice on her part.

But what choice did she have? Her mother's wedding was 6 months away, and she needed a date and fast. She wasn't about to date a co-worker, so this was her last choice in the matter to get everything back on schedule.

Sighing, she began filling out the billing details, which included her address, cell phone and suit number. Within a matter of seconds, a confirmation screen popped up confirming that her card was approved.

 _"If this is how I'm going to get through another one of my mother's weddings, then so be it…"_

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 **So this is basically the introduction to the main story that I want to write and complete over the summer! How was it? Did it spark your interest enough to continue reading? I sure hope so! ^-^ If you have any unanswered questions about this AU, then they'll most likely and hopefully be answered in throughout the course of the story.**

 **Thank you so much for choosing my story to read, and any follows, favorites, and especially reviews are very much appreciated! ~ Rain**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hi, guys! I'm back with another update!**

 **During the duration between this and the previous chapter, I got the _genius_ idea of changing this story's title, but after reading a helpful message** **its been decided that this is the most appropriate title and will not be changed again. I often second guess myself, thank you so much** **ScarletLycrosis as well as everyone else for your support and comments!**

 **Reviews - Higuchimon & ScarletLycrosis: I simply love the points that the two of you pointed out. While I had a most of them already figured out, I reread over both reviews again and found a few things that I hadn't thought of, and for that, I say thank you very much! I'm going to use your helpful points to my advantage in this series!**

 **Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this first and official chapter to this series and thank you so, so much for the support!**

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 **Claimer:** The art used for my book cover was drawn by me and is also subject to copyright. You are not allowed to re-post, redistribute in any way shape or form, or claim as your own!

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 _If there's one thing I've learned, no one wants a broken heart._

 _Many of us wish and desire to have someone who will love us no matter what, with all their being._

 _Not a selfish bastard who pretends to love you and then shows up at your apartment at 2 in the morning drunk to announce that he hooked up with your roommate at a party that you weren't even invited to._

 _Well, except if you're me._

 _My name is Alexis Rhodes, and I'm terrible at introductions and relationships._

 _Sigh…let's just start from the beginning and say that I'm terrible at romance in general…_

 _ **..:Boyfriend for Hire — Chapter 1 :..**_

 _Tick, tick, tick…_

In the form of a little black and white cow, a small desktop clock ticked away into late hours of the night. Its little ticker was right on point counting and setting each and every agonizing second of work into slow motion as Alexis fingers tapped away at her keyboard. Hours had passed since her last break, but she was determined to finish this one last task.

Taking a quick breather, Alexis readjusted her crossed legs and then opened another client's e-mail. This one was a complaint letter from a mother of three named Ruth.

The e-mail started with an innocent and polite demeanor; the subject and first sentence beginning with "To Whom it May Concern," and then evolved into an enormous wall of text describing Ruth's experiences during a wedding reception she attended for her niece in excruciating and colorful detail.

However, just like _every_ other consumer complaint Alexis had stumbled upon in the last few hours of work, there were bit and pieces of passive aggressive analogies which grew more and more malicious with each line, caps-lock lettering to emphasize their points, and many, many, exclamation points…

Alexis gave a small sigh and shook her head. The wedding reception was for this woman's niece, not her. So, why was she complaining instead of her niece or her parents? At some point the letter had transformed into a seething rant about the crab cakes being too fishy tasting that she'd neglected to taste test before feeding to her picky eater toddler. She probably didn't bother to check the kid's menu that was included is what Alexis had assumed. Show's how intelligent Ruth really was…

By the end of the letter, she was sure that Ruth had assumed her ultimate form before pressing the send button, as there was more than just a vibrant assortment of swear words and the word 'sue' over eight times. Alexis gave a silent chuckle. This woman Ruth undoubtedly was a colorful woman, who could probably stand to get off Suburban dictionary and pick up a thesaurus.

"Well, that escalated rather quickly…" Alexis muttered to herself with another small laugh. However, her curser hovered above the delete button for a mere second.

As charming as Ruth's e-mail was, the thrill of checking her overflowing work inbox had run out during the first hour of the task, really fast. But, it could have been much worse. At least she didn't have to book any restaurants or vendors for current client. Chatting with a greasy cook to get reasonable pricing on catering just wasn't her thing.

The blonde stretched her arms, drawing in air for another deep sigh. "This is truly hell," said a small voice in the back of her head as Alexis leaned onto her mahogany desk, and rubbed her tired eyes. According to the Engaging Affairs company handbook, if a client is unhappy or mentions suing, you have to offer them an apology letter and free gift from the company assortment.

Swallowing her pride, Alexis cracked her knuckles and did her best to imitate someone who wasn't on the verge of collapsing at her desk. She offered Ruth her "sincerest apologies," and reassuring that she would contact the company president (of course she wouldn't) as soon as possible, and attached a valid gift card code for an Italian restaurant that all customer service reps handed out to the shrill customers as some form of grievance control.

Once the e-mail was sent, Alexis bent down to open a filing cabinet full of company forms and handbooks. It only took her seconds to leaf through the numerous files for the customer complaint forms folder. With a form in hand, she grabbed one of the pens from her desk, but suddenly stopped to take a glance at her clock.

 _Tick, tick, tick…_

Apparently, she had only managed to waste another twenty minutes of her life. Clinching her jaw, she turned her attention back to the paper work.

" _Alright, first things first, 'name of persons whom…"_

 _Tick, tick, tick…_

Her eyes drift back to the little cow clock on her desktop. As if the cow couldn't get any more cartoonish than it already was, it also held a little sign that read _it's time to get thriving!_ Alexis shook her head at the clock. At this point, she didn't feel as though she was thriving very much…curiously enough, the thought of a hidden camera in clock crossed her mind. It was a gift from the snooty president herself after all.

But then, she hatched a plan. Lifting the device up, Alexis opened her desk drawer and then dropped the clock behind a tower of post-it notes, note pads, and ink cart refills.

 _And that takes cares of that_ , she thought with a smile. Upon closer expectation, she could see and hear her phone vibrating from atop the post-its.

 _A text…?_ She thought hearing the familiar soft jingle afterwards. Today had been such a long day, she had completely forgotten about putting her phone there, and mentally patted herself on the back for opening the drawer.

Now was as good as any other time to read the message, right? She took one last look around the office to make sure that no one was peering over her shoulder and then headed towards the smoking area with her phone and work tote in hand.

Within the streets cars passed by and splashed puddle water onto the sidewalk. She hadn't realized that it started raining again at some point throughout the day with the constant white noise of her computer, click-clacking of keys, and land-line phones ringing in her ear.

She swiped the screen to unlock her phone as she stood under the overhang of the building. The screen lit up showing her notifications and clock. It's after midnight already, she thought with a yawn. She was already looking forward to snuggling in bed with favorite jammies and sleeping in late for the weekend with her kitty Salem.

She took in a deep breath of the freshly rain-washed night air and tapped the message icon to open it. As she read the subject line, she frowned. The message was from a strange number that looked almost too comical to be real. She made a mental note to clear her phone for unwanted apps and message over the weekend, but first the message. It peaked at her curiosity.

The message wasn't exactly what she had expected, nor was it a pick-me-up on this tiring night. In fact, Alexis could have possibly anticipated why the message was sent to her. It read, _"True love cannot be found where it does not exist, nor can it be denied where it does…_ **{1}** _"_

Alexis blinked. Was this some sort of practical joke? Leaning up against one of the concrete supports, she began to chew her lip trying to make sense of things more, her conscience intervened.

Suddenly, her train of thought was disturbed by the sound of footsteps on the asphalt. Somewhat startled, Alexis peered over seeing a familiar figure resting against the adjacent column—it was the company president's step-son and her high school friend, Chazz. Per usual, his tie was undone and he wore a sour expression on his face as he smoked. Though, Chazz could be a real sweet-heart when he wanted to be.

"Well, well, Ms. Rhodes. Looks like you survived another day." The ebony haired man smiled, his eyes were just as tired as hers. "I am so ready to go home, how about you?"

Alexis pulled her sweater closer to her body as the wind blew. "Definitely," she replied with a sigh.

Chazz yawned running his pale fingers through his spiked hair. "I think I'll just sleep the entire weekend away," he yawned again peering into the dimly lit streets of Domino City, tossing his cigarette to ground and stomping it. Recalling correctly, Chazz was already in office assisting his step-mother when Alexis walked in that afternoon for shift.

"When I stop to think about it, I could have done more with my life if I had gone to college straight out of high school…" He spoke softly and then paused to look at her. "Do you ever think about stuff like that, Lex?"

Somewhat caught off guard, she looked at him with stunned expression. Even after years of knowing him it was always surprising to hear Chazz speak like this. She often wondered if he was a mind reader of some sort. Maybe his years of drinking Red Bull and smoking had managed to open his spiritual chakras or whatever? Alexis opened her mouth slowly and then closed it again causing him chuckled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to throw any quizzes at you or anything," The taller one of the two glanced at his surroundings and then started to pace around. "No doubt we're of the youngest ones in this damned company. I guess I do what my old man wants and take over this prissy factory…I don't know. But you, you still have time to get out there do what you want to do and actually find that special person."

Alexis gave a slow nod, even though Chazz was peering off into the distance with his back turned to her. For the life of her, she just couldn't figure out why he was telling her this, but she was just simply too tired and nor did she want to question it. She suddenly felt guilty for being a terrible conversationalist. Clearing her throat, she decided to humor Chazz with a question of her own. "That special person, huh? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Turning back around, Chazz smirked cheekily at her. "You could say that…" He returned to his thoughts as a familiar vehicle pulled into the entrance.

Alexis gave him a friendly nod as she pulled her umbrella from her tote and opened it. "See you next week,"

"Yeah…have a nice weekend," he nodded at her as she stepped into the vehicle.

As the minivan pulled out of the parking lot and into the crowded streets, raindrops streaked in horizon pattern across the windshield. Alexis was already beginning to relax. It started with her slouching back into her seat and then kicking off her ballet flats.

Her older brother Atticus was the one on in the driver's seat and peering behind her, she could see that her nieces Evelina and Viola had tagged along with their daddy, but were already fast asleep huddle together.

Alexis' gaze rolled back to her phone and her thoughts to the mysterious and strange text again. Who sent it, and _why_ did they send it?

"How did things go today?" Atticus asked quietly. Alexis didn't hear him; she was too lost in her own world.

"Uh, Lex…?" He asked again, this time a little louder. "I asked how your day was."

Alexis shrugged as she watched a car pass by. "It was…alright in a sense." She answered not caring or wanting to get into details. But of course, she knew he would ask anyway.

"Is that all?"

She gave a slight shrug. Of course it was the same old as usual, apart from that strange message.

"Yeah, everything went as it usually did…" Pausing, she turned to her brother. "Although I could tell you about a _lovely_ woman named Ruth."

As the car came to a smooth stop at a red light, Atticus glanced at her with a furrowed brow. "Ruth?" he questioned. "Who's that, a new friend of yours?"

"Of course not!" The blonde laughed softly. "I got an e-mail from her complaining about the crab cakes at her niece's wedding ceremony which was months ago…she cussed throughout the entire e-mail and-"

"Cussing?" Atticus interrupted her making a right at the next signal light. "Were they directed at you?" he asked with a frowned.

Alexis sighed. This was exactly why she didn't want to give him all of the details. Ever since becoming a husband and father, Atticus was even more protective of his family members. Within the duration, he moved to the outskirts with his eccentric wife and lost all touches to the world's modern ways. It was pretty clear that he had forgotten that they were living in a century, where people did in fact cuss more than usual.

"Uh, no…it was just a complaint e-mail directed at no one in particular. Anyone could have answered it really…"

"Oh…" Atticus paused for a moment, but he looked more relaxed. "I didn't know that you had to answer client e-mails, too…"

"Since social networking and e-mailing have become more frequent, the president wants us to keep up with current trends to make contacting and booking easier for busy couples. We even have an app now to book in advance." Alexis reassured him leaning back into the passenger seat comfortably. She also made a mental note of getting her brother a smart phone for his birthday to replace the out of date phone he was currently using.

After another minute or two of silence, Atticus spoke up again. "We're almost to your apartment…do you want turn around and to get something eat before I drop you off?"

As if on cue, her stomach began to growl as she thought about burgers and fries, pizza, and take out stir fry—she loved them all. Her guilty pleasure was being the queen of junk food on late nights like tonight. However, having junk food throughout the course of the week really took the enjoyment out of them…it was really saying something if she didn't want them.

"You know what, I think I'll pass for tonight," The blonde checked her phone for any new or strange messages as the minivan pulled into her complex's parking lot. "I'm in the mood for instant noodles instead."

After saying and whispering a quick goodbye to Atticus and the girls, Alexis unlocked her door, and then tossed her shoes and bag aside before heading straight for the kitchen. After setting one of the front burners to medium, with the kettle on it of course, she sat down at the small kitchen table with a portfolio pad and a pen. She flipped a few pages over until she found a checklist of tasks for her client to whom she was currently planning a wedding for—her mother…

" _Let's see…the locations for both the date and revenue have been set to fit the budget perfectly, check. The guest list is up to date and RSPVs are ready to be sent, check. We still need to plan out gift bags for the guests…maybe some hand lotions and soaps could be added? All vendors have been booked and mom's dress fitting as well as the bride's maid fitting date has been set, triple check. We still need to book a suitable band for live entertainment and train Evelina as the Flower Girl though…Jesse and Adrian have agreed to be the photographer and videographer, so that's taken care of. We still need to book the hotels and check back with the florist by Thursday next week…"_

Joining his owner in kitchen appeared Salem. He meowed and rubbed his head against Alexis' leg purring to get her attention, which worked naturally. The blonde lifted the rather chubby black cat and snuggled her cheek to his furry one.

"Looks like someone missed his owner, didn't he?" she chuckled increasing the rate of Salem's purring. As the kettle began to whistle, she sat the feline down and he scurried off to finish the remaining Kitty Crisp in his bowl. How could he not? It was ocean's delight, his favorite flavor.

Alexis chuckled again hearing the crunching sounds from the other side of the kitchen. "I hope you enjoy the last bits of the regular because starting tomorrow, its diet Kitty Crisp for you, mister." She teased earning a 'meow' from Salem.

After pouring a reasonable amount of water into ramen cup, she returned to her seat and began going over her notes again.

" _Now where was I? Right, the cake tastings. We'll have time for cake tastings come Monday with Auntie Abigail tagging along. I can contact Jasmine and Mindy about hair and make of course and arrange the different forms of transportation on Wednesday. But before then, mom and I have to meet the Officiant to map out the ceremony on Tuesday. That should just about cover everything for this period."_

Alexis twirled a fork-full of noodles and swallowed them down satisfied that everything was going according to plan, so far. Checking off a few more things on her list, she turned a page and found one thing left for her to accomplish this month.

" _And let see finally, I need to find a date…"_ She paused at the thought for a moment. Why was this even a thing? Why in world did her mother find it necessary for her guests to have dates? The sheer premise was simply stupid. And of course, it obviously had something to do with her mother meddling in her love life.

Finishing her beef noodles, Alexis placed her empty bowl into the sink and filled it with a bit of water to keep the dish from being stained or grime sticking. She headed towards the living room for an hour of television, but not before grabbing a half empty bottle of Pinot Noir and a glass. She patted Salem's head as he curled next her on the leather sofa. Nothing in particularly interesting was on at the late hour, but it didn't hurt watch a couple reruns Master Chef before resting.

She wasn't ready to get back into dating, so why should she show up with a date at the wedding? But then again, there's always the possibility of showing up with one of her friends or coworkers…yeah, that would most certainly get her mother off her back. As the show transitioned into a commercial break, Alexis unlocked her phone and pulled up her list of contacts. Now, who should I choose was her first thought scrolling through the relatively long list.

The first number that came up was Aaron Fitzgerald, one of the nicer, but overly flamboyant workers in the office. Sure he had a way of brightening up the office on gloomy days, but he was notorious show-hog, which was the last thing she needed at the wedding…two bridezillas…

She scrolled a few numbers down to the number of Lewis Yuan. Lewis was one of the newer faces at the office, and a cute boyish one at that. But unfortunately, he was taken and by one of the most jealous men in Domino City. He even gave the elderly janitor a dirty look for giving Lewis spare box of tissues in front of him, so it was safe to say that Lewis was out of the question for being a pretend date.

Scrolling through more of her contacts, Alexis came across Chazz's number. Not only was he a coworker, but the two of them were really good friends. If anyone could be a believable date, it would be Chazz. Yes, it would be perfect! But…what would Atticus think about this? He's known Chazz a bit longer she has, and even introduced the two of them…she couldn't do that to her brother or Chazz, pretend or not.

Well, then, what about a female date to accompany her? Yet another bad idea. Caroline Rhodes was _old-fashion_ which meant she was stuck in the dark ages and very judgmental of same sex couples. Totally and completely impossible to work with it seemed. Alexis volunteered to be the planner for Caroline's _fifth_ wedding, not counting her and Atticus' father and now that she was six months into planning this wedding, the blonde was desperately wanted to call it quits but knew couldn't.

Taking a sip from her glass, she hatched a different plan, but made a note of contacting one of her female coworkers as a backup plan, judgmental or not a date was a date after all, and Caroline would just have to deal with it.

" _This is so bloody stupid…"_ Was her first thought as she read the site's description again. The clock read 2 am, and here she was searching up local dating services for a date to take her own mother's wedding…

 _No boyfriend since birth?_

 _Wishing for someone to brag to your friends about?_

 _Want to make your ex-boyfriend come crawling back to you?_

 _Ready to move on?_

 _Or do you simply want to have someone by your side?_

 _Well…if you said yes to any of those questions then look no further! "Rent-A-Boyfriend" is here for you with a wide variety of rental boyfriends to fit your needs!_

 _Simply fill out our 20 question questionnaire and we'll match you with your perfect match!_

 _Once you have reviewed our terms and paid the set fee in full, then expect your rental boyfriend at your door step the very next day!_

Alexis gave a small chuckle slumping back in the work chair of her home office. She wasn't about to enter her credit card information in some sketchy site. Surfing the dark abyss of the internet with a glass of Pinot Noir table side might not have been the best choice on her part, but what choice did she have? Time was ticking away, and she needed a date to get everything back on schedule. At least to her liking.

Before she began on the rental questionnaire, she pondered the idea of the second questionnaire of building of her own date bot. By answering 40 questions, she could have the perfect date with Adonis-like features. The fee for this one extra, and Alexis considered herself already out of her mind for even clicking the site link in the first place at 2 in the morning. _No, no…_ she decided against it. She wanted a real human date, not a cold machine.

Sighing, she began filling out the billing details, which included her address, cell phone and suite number. Within a matter of seconds, a confirmation screen popped up confirming that her card was approved.

" _If this is how I'm going to get through another one of my mother's silly weddings, then so be it…"_

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 **{1}** A quote from Torquato Tasso. I found this one on a site called BrainyQuote.

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 **Thoughts?**

 **If you're wondering why Alexis doesn't have her own transportation to and from work, I've already arrange for it to be explained very soon, and it's rather interesting to say the least.**

 **Stardew Valley gave me the inspiration to make an evil wedding planning corporation, heh. I've already put 80+ hours into that game terrible I know, but it's just so addicting…a** **nyway, thank you for reading, and of course for every comment, favorite, and follow! - Rain**


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